The "I Didn't Comment in Another Thread" Thread

[ichabod]

Everybody makes jokes about having an evil twin... But it's not so funny when you actually have one.

All the way through high school people in my hometown kept mistaking me for this guy Steve. "Hey, Steve, what's up?" "I'm not Steve." "Oh, you need to meet Steve, you look just like him."

Meanwhile, across town, everyone is mistaking Steve for me, and telling him he needs to me meet because he looks just like me.

Finally, senior year, Steve and I end up at the same party. Someone realizes it and introduces us to each other. Almost in unison, we both say "You don't look anything like me."

 

[nevin]

why do we as geeks/nerds have to act so pretentious on some subjects?

the same reason actor's, politicians and engineers do the same thing... We are right!

 

[Mad_Jack]

I feel your pain. Although for me it's my Swedish first name. Which doesn't even have an Å, Ä, or Ö in it!

I'm Irish. (Probably somewhat obvious given my first name, although one of those other Sean's in my class was actually Hispanic.)
I have a short two-syllable last name that is basically spelled the way it's phonetically pronounced, yet people can never get it right.
The first syllable is spelled just like the number 2 - "t...w...o...". The last syllable is spelled "m...e...y". It's really simple.
T-w-o.
"2"
M-e-y.
"Mee"
2...Me
2mee
And yet everyone insists on pronouncing the W, and/or putting the emphasis on the last syllable, like it's a French name or something.


Relevant to the video posted before, I caused an entire college classroom to start laughing when I (the only white guy in the class, with a fairly easy-to-pronounce name) chuckled and pointed out that mine was the only name the teacher had mispronounced in a class full of folks from several different countries all with African, middle eastern and South American Indigenous ethnic names.

 

[payn]

They almost had me. I claimed that not posting on opinions in a particular thread is best, and almost posted. Gotta stick to my principles. Not usually my thing, but just watched No Country for Old Men again and in a mood I guess.

 

[J.Quondam]

why do we as geeks/nerds have to act so pretentious on some subjects?

Lots of gamers/nerds/geeks confuse their own smarts for intelligence.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Lots of gamers/nerds/geeks confuse their own smarts for intelligence.

According to child psychologists, one of the worst things you can do for a kid is tell them how smart they are. The older I get, the more damaging a belief in one's own intelligence seems to be.

 

[nevin]

According to child psychologists, one of the worst things you can do for a kid is tell them how smart they are. The older I get, the more damaging a belief in one's own intelligence seems to be.

True but there is the converse problem, if you have a really smart child and try to explain things too them while pretending they aren't smarter than everyone in the room then they tend to tune out the "stupid" people. I went through that line of thinkng as a kid. I always listened to the teachers that acknowleded I was smart but pointed out they were better educated. The ones that tried to ignore that I was smarter and tried to pretend I was just like the other kids got put on ignore and they lost all ability to influence at that point. Smart kids know they are smart, not feeding to avoid narcissism is a good goal but many people conflate that with trying to convince them they are just like everone else and they are not average like everyone else. You'll do better teaching them that intelligence is a lucky tool they inherited and drive home to them that working hard, at your tasks, in getting along with others, and accepting that even less intelligent people can have great ideas and great abilities, and the people that work harder are statistically more likely to succeed. Please ignore the outliers, and that will serve them far better than trying to hide how smart they are. Just remember they are that smart and they are always in the room with themselves and they know it even if they don't say it. Also remember it's a scary scary world for smart kids who realize they are smarter than the ones in charge. You watch people make mistakes, when you the child try to point it out they emotionally react and double down and you begin to think people are crazy.

 

[J.Quondam]

According to child psychologists, one of the worst things you can do for a kid is tell them how smart they are. The older I get, the more damaging a belief in one's own intelligence seems to be.

Confidence in one's own brightness is generally fine, imo. It's genuinely empowering. The problem really begins, imo, when that self-assuredness in one's own smarts comes at the expense of qualities like humaneness, empathy, and respect for community. I think that's what got our civilization so drenched in privileged techbros.

 

[nevin]

Confidence in one's own brightness is generally fine, imo. It's genuinely empowering. The problem really begins, imo, when that self-assuredness in one's own smarts comes at the expense of qualities like humaneness, empathy, and respect for community. I think that's what got our civilization so drenched in privileged techbros.

said much better than my statement.

 

[Ryujin]

I can't wait to play the home game!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wiggles3d/um-actually

I thought that was called Facebook?